Slide table assembly



' Aug. 11, 1942, J. w. ROBERTS SLIDE TABLE ASSEMBLY Filed Oct. 4. 1940JFw/v n4 ROBE/276 Patented it, 1942 UNITED STATES PATEN T OFFICE sunsram asssmr 1.1m w.- Roberts, Oklahoma cm,

c. Wyatt and one-half 'to liaggett, both of Oklahoma City,

of one-half to G. Clarence E. Okla.

th., assignm- Application ember 4, 1940, Serial No. 359,690 3 Claims.(01. 311-21) This invention relates to a serving table, and isparticularly adapted for attachment beneath the glove compartment of anordinary automoto an entirely out of the way position.

A further .object of the invention is to provide a slide table assemblyconstruction which prevents the table from being accidentally withdrawnfrom its guides or runners as it is moved toward its extended andoperative position, and which also maintains the table in its retractedposition whenit is not in use.'

The details in the construction of a preferred form of my invention,together with other objects attending its production, will be betterunderstood from the following description when read in connection withthe accompanying drawing, which is chosenfor illustrative purposes only,andin which Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a preferredembodiment of the invention with'the table in extend'd andoperative-position;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken along the ,line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along the line H of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 1, withthe table in extended and operative position;

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4, but shows the table locked inretracted and inoperative position; and

Figure 6 is a front view of the table assembly installed immediatelybeneath the instrument panel of a'modem automobile.

Referring to the drawing it will be seen that the embodiment illustratedincludes a pair of parallel table supporting guide members Hi and Ilwhich are spaced apart and maintained parallel and in the same plane bylaterally extending spacer bars l2 and i3, which are rigidly secured tothe guide members by any suitable means, as

by spot welding. As shown in- Figures 1 and 2,

the opposite ends of the bar l3 extend beyond the outer side edges ofthe respective guide members, and are bent and perforated to formattaching brackets I4 and I5. Intermediate the guide members I0 and II aportion of one side edge of the bar I; is pressed downward to form aninclined plane which will be hereinafter referred to as catch guide I.

As illustrated the guide members II and II are longitudinally grooved ontheir adjacent inner surfaces to co-operatively and slidably receive andguide a table, designated as a whole by the numeral l1, and at their endnearest the bar II, the guide members are respectively fitted withperforated attaching brackets II and I9.

The table portion of this assembly comprises a flat plate 20 preferablyhaving its outer end turned down and perforated at spaced intervals toaflord a means for attaching a facing plate 2|.

The rigidity of this plate 20 is preferably .increased by groovedreinforcing members 22 and 22, which are rigidly attached by anysuitable means along the respective side edges of the platell. As shown,these reinforcing members 22 and 23 are of suchcross sectional size andshape as to be'slidably received in the grooves j of the guide members II and H, and the ends of the members 22 and 23 extend for a considerabledistance beyond the inner end of the plate 20, thus aii'ording a meansof rigidly supporting the table even after the inner end of the plate 20has been moved to a position just outside the ends of the guide members"and II. 1

As a means of preventing the table II from being accidentally andcompletely withdrawn from between the supportingv guide members II andII, the plate 2| is provided at its inner end with a rigidly attachedleaf spring type catch 24, the free end of which is turned downward tocontact the inner side edge of the bar ii, the bar and catch thusco-operating to normally limit the outward travel of the table. Shouldit be desired to entirely remove the table from its guides it is onlynecessary to exert suiilcient upward pressure on the free end of thecatch 2! to cause it to clear the bar l3.

As a means of locking the table I! in a retracted position between itsguide members (as in Figure 5), I provide another leaf spring type isrigidly secured to the plate 20 by any suitable means, as by rivets 26.This catch 25 is secured in a tion of alignment with the catch guide I,so

that as the table is moved toward a retracted position between the guidemembers, the free end 21 of the catch 25 contacts and travels over theinclined surface of the catch guide Ii, and thus the catch is guided toa locking contact with the inner edge of the bar l2, and locks the tablein the position shown in .Figure 5. When it is desired to move the tableoutward from its locked mobile instrument panel retracted position it isonly necessary to exert suiilcient upward pressure on the free end 21 tocause the catch to clear the inner side edge of bar l3. The table maythen be moved to the position shown in Figure 4.

In Figure 5, one manner of attaching the assembly in the front seatcompartment of an automobile is illustrated. The numeral 28 designates aportion of the automobile dash, to which one end of each of the twoguide members II and II is attached by means of bolts 29 passing thruthe brackets l8 and I9, and thru the dash. The opposite ends of theguide members ill and II are rigidly secured to the autoll by means ofbolts 3i passing thru the brackets I4 and i5 and thru the lower turnededge of the panel, as shown.

Figure 6 shows a preferred position of installation in an automobile. Itwill be seen that the facing plate 2| is haped to conform in appearanceto the particular instrument panel illustrated, and it should beunderstood that the shape of this plate may be varied to conform tovarious other types'of instrument panels.

While I have vdescribed and illustrated a specific embodiment of myinvention, I am aware that numerous alterations and changes may be madetherein and I do not wish the prior art and by the claims.

Iclaim:

1. A slide table assembly of the class described comprising: asubstantially flat plate or table; a pair of spaced co-operating tablesupporting guide members, each having a longitudinally extendinginwardly facing groove, said members adapted to slidably receive thetable between them; releasable means for normally maintaining said tablein a retracted position between said guide members; and releasable meansfor limiting the distance said table may be moved outward away from itsretracted position between said guide members; and reinforcing membersscope of the appended to be limited except by 4 along the side edges ofsaid table, said reinforc- -and below the lower edge of ing membersbeing extended to form spaced rigid legs beyond the inner end ofsaid'plate or table, the cross sectional size and shape of saidreinforcing members being such as to permit them to slide freely withinthe respective grooves in said supporting guide member's.

' 2. A table assembly of the class described comprising: a substantiallyflat plate or table; a spaced co-operatlng pair of longitudinallygrooved supporting guide members adapted to be rigidly secured in thesame plane, the grooves in saidguide members adapted to slidably receivethe respective side edges of said plate; co-operating releasable meanscarried respectively by the guide members and the plate for normallymaintaining the plate in a retracted position between said guidemembers; and cooperating releasabie means for normally limiting theoutward movement of said plate from a retracted position between saidguide members, the releasing of said last mentioned means affording freeremoval of the plate from the guide members. I

3. In an automobile which includes a dash, and an instrument panelspaced horizontally therefrom, a serving table comprising: pacedparallel supporting guides each having one end secured rigidly to saiddash, and each having its opposite end secured rigidly adjacent thelower edge of said instrument panel, both guides lying substantially ina horizontal plane; a plate or table slidable on said guides in a planeimmediately adjacent the lower edge of said instrument panel in adirection substantially at right angles to said panel; releasable meansfor normally maintaining said table in a retracted position with itsouter end immediately adjacent said instrument panel; andreleasablemeans for limiting the distance said table may be movedoutward on its guides away from its retracted position beneath saidinstrument panel. Y I

' JOHN W. ROBERTS.

